The 123 Method Helps You Remember What You’ve Learned
It’s a good idea to have a strategy for retaining what you learn, but if your method is too confusing, you’ll never stick with it—and then it’s useless. The best learning methods are not only based on research and a well-established understanding of how memory works, but are also easily implemented into everyday life. The 123 method meets all the criteria for a good teaching method, so let’s figure out what it is.
What is Research Method 123?
The 123 training method is similar in many ways to the 2357 method , except that it is much easier to stay on top of and actually follow through on. In 2357, you review and revise your notes and materials on the second, third, fifth, and seventh days after you first study them, which is a difficult schedule to remember and maintain. Method 123 is simpler: on the first day you study the material. On the second day, you review it. Watch it again on the third day, then don’t think about it for a week and then watch it again.
Why Research Method 123 Works
Method 123 is based on distributed practice , which requires you to review materials at regular intervals to better retain them in long-term memory. It’s a technique that works, but its practitioners often expect you to space out your practice in a way that’s difficult to manage. By doing this for three days and then giving your brain a week and seeing how much you remember, you’ll be able to incorporate distributed practice into your life much more easily.
This method is best used about 10 days before a big test so you can study and repeat the results over the first three days, and then again the day before the test. How you review is up to you, but you can try flashcards , which will help you recall your memory, or blurt out , which will help you identify problem areas, forcing you to remember as much information as possible without looking at your notes. Just know that leaving a week between checks is critical. When your brain has almost forgotten something, it works a little harder to retrieve information from memory, and this is what will really help solidify the facts before a big test.